The present invention relates to captive ball and end connector assemblies and, in particular, to captive ball and stud end connector assemblies having a half bearing within the socket to provide a ball to socket fit with essentially zero clearance.
Captive ball and end connector assemblies are well-known in the art. Such assemblies--comprising a shaft with a ball at one end and an end connector with a socket for receiving the ball--have been used for years to mechanically interconnect relatively moveable parts.
Previously those working in the art have been seeking a relatively inexpensive captive ball and end connector assembly that provides a ball to socket fit with essentially zero clearance. A zero clearance is desirable since it insures that the parts will not rattle or become noisy. Noise free captive ball and end connector assemblies are especially desirable for automobile applications where vibration is more or less always present.
Previous captive ball and end connector assemblies, such as the captive ball and socket assembly disclosed in Lapsley, U.S. Pat. No. 2,010,367, relied upon a complex socket groove configuration with a wire ring retainer riding biased against an internal ramp surface of the groove, and against the spherical surface of the ball, to provide a zero clearance assembly. The complex socket groove configuration, however, is relatively expensive to produce, thus increasing the cost of the captive ball and end connector assemblies.